In a move raising eyebrows across Washington, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been granted access to the federal payment system, which handles trillions of dollars in government funds annually, according to US media reports.
While DOGE is not an official agency but a team within the administration, sources suggest the group now has access to sensitive personal data of millions of Americans, raising concerns about privacy and oversight.
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The situation reportedly led to a standoff at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where two officials were placed on leave after resisting DOGE’s efforts to access critical government systems.
The White House and Treasury Department have yet to comment. Just days after President Donald Trump announced the formation of DOGE, the team has spread across federal agencies with the goal of slashing government spending.
Musk, who helped establish the team, has enlisted support from allies in Silicon Valley and his private companies. This has created turbulence at agencies like the Treasury Department and USAID—two entities Musk has criticized on social media. On X (formerly Twitter), Musk called USAID “evil” and accused Treasury officials of “breaking the law every hour of every day,” further stoking controversy.
The Treasury division involved in these changes handles critical federal payments, including Social Security, government salaries, and money allocated by Congress—totaling nearly $6 trillion.
The controversy also extends to USAID, which distributes billions in aid. The agency’s website went offline, and its X account appears to have been deactivated. Reports claim DOGE members sought access to a classified facility, a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility).
Meanwhile, the broader federal workforce faces changes under Trump’s administration. Executive orders have sparked confusion, with employees receiving instructions to report colleagues allegedly disguising diversity efforts and encouraged to take paid resignations, leading to unease.
In response, many agencies, including the CDC, have removed references to diversity and inclusion and LGBTQ+ content from their websites, resulting in broken links, including those on LGBTQ+ health and mpox vaccines. While supporters argue diversity programs address historical inequalities, critics claim they can create new forms of discrimination, intensifying the debate.
